U.S. Marshals Museum

The ambitious project to build a national U.S. Marshals Museum is now complete. The new museum is the result of a 16-year project which began in 2007 when the significant site was selected. Fort Smith, Arkansas, is where the U.S. Marshals initially launched across the Arkansas River to hunt fugitives in the Oklahoma Territory. The museum will serve as a national centre of heritage and legacy and will include 20,000 square feet of exhibit space. Designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and Polk Stanley Wilcox, the museum’s star-shaped design and its use of bronze pay homage to the badges worn by marshals in earlier years. In early 2020 the structural construction work was completed on the building, which totals 53,000 square feet. California-based exhibit designer Thinkwell has created five permanent galleries with immersive exhibits exploring the U.S. Marshals’ work upholding the rule of law. The first gallery, ‘To Be A Marshal’, will explore the role of a Marshal, how the agency was founded, its principles and duties, and a timeline of the history of the Marshals. A series of interactive exhibits will be set into the timeline covering the different types of work for which the U.S. Marshals are responsible. ‘The Campfire – Stories Under The Stars’ use lighting and audio to tell tales and memories of Marshals’ lives and achievements. Through various exhibits depicting an Old West frontier town, such as a saloon and a Marshal’s office, ‘Frontier Marshals’ bring to life the tales of the first lawmen of the newly formed United States. And finally, in ‘Modern Marshalls’, exhibits showcase the tactics and technologies utilized by Marshals today whilst the names and faces of the 15 Most Wanted are shown on a running display along the top edge of the room and the words of Marshals – present and past – play in the background. Installation of the exhibits began in the spring of 2023. The Museum’s National Learning Center will provide local and national visitors with an additional educational offer exploring the Constitution, the Rule of Law and civic literacy. Visitors can also visit the Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor and pay their respects to the Marshals killed in the line of duty, with more than 350 lives lost since 1789. The Samuel M. Sicard Hall of Honor, along with the museum’s main Mary Carleton and Robert A. Young III Building, was dedicated on 24 September 2019, marking the 230th anniversary of the creation of the United States Marshals Service. In November 2022, Susan Neyman was appointed Chief Development Officer of the Museum to help complete the building campaign, open the museum to the public and establish long-term funding. The U.S. Marshals Museum opened to the public on 1 July 2023. (Updated 10 July 2023)